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October 12, 2007
District 10 straw poll results
I don't have exact numbers, but I'm told that Andy Berke won roughly 2/3 of the votes in a straw poll that was taken at the Brainerd Forum after last night's debate.
About 60 Brainerd residents were present, with about 20 additional people either associated with a campaign or otherwise from outside the area. Non-residents were discouraged from voting in the straw poll, but I'm not sure how one would go about policing that; and these things aren't exactly scientific, anyway. (Don't you just love the phrase "not exactly scientific"?)
A spokesman with the Brock campaign told me that, overall, the senate district comprises about a 55-45 split, with Democrats in the majority. By my recollection, the handful of precincts that make up Brainerd trend more Democratic than that.
The Republicans have their work cut out for them in a district so long represented by power-wielding (and thus pork-laden) Ward Crutchfield, but they are cheerfully devoting themselves to the task at hand. On the other side, the Berke camp isn't taking anything for granted, as special elections (in particular) can have surprising outcomes.
I'd say the race is off to a good start, even with some media outlets already engaging in a little dirt-digging. The candidates themselves, and those close to them, are cordial to and respectful of their opponents; and, from what I can tell, they aren't just playing nice while directing others to sling mud on their behalf.
I hope (however foolishly) that the political parties and muckrakers will lay off and let this campaign be about which candidate offers the best solutions rather than about petty personal attacks. That said, if there are true problems that need to be exposed, you can bet I'll be helping to illuminate them with whatever candlepower this li'l blog can bring.
State Senate Elections | By joe lance | 04:07 PM